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“I thought that this was a weekly thing. Pretty sure Abe said it was a bye week for them.”
He chuckles. “He lied through his teeth. Let them have this, though, yeah?”
“Yeah, of course.” I set the cooler down. “Grab something to eat; there’s plenty.”
“Thanks, Rome.”
I nod to the girls. “Gonna go see if they need a water boy.”
When I get to them, Gwen, CeCe, and Cora are all stretching.
“Thanks for the invite.” Whitley Paul nudges me with her hip. “What made you think of this?”
“Was more Abe O’Donnell’s idea,” I admit. “I mentioned taking her and her girls and housemates to hit some balls.”
She laughs. “Yeah, that sounds right. At this point, they’ve bypassed guests, right?”
“They’re good people.”
“The best.” She nods, smiling at them then back to me. “How are you doing? This is a lot for just starting out, isn’t it?”
I cross my arms and stare at CeCe. “Ever see a person for the first time and you just know they’re something special?”
She smiles, probably thinking I’m insane.
“I never had, not once. But the first day I saw the redhead hopping on one foot while trying to put her other shoe on as she headed to her vehicle, no doubt running late, I felt a peaceful warmth inside of me. Standing on my porch, watching the sun come up, drinking a cup of coffee most mornings became every morning, just so I could watch her start her day.” I shake my head as I look from CeCe to her. “I know I sound like a freak, but?—”
“No, you don’t. You sound like one of the lucky ones. I met Pope in middle school and felt that same way.” She smiles in his direction. “Advice?”
“I’ll take all you have to offer.”
“Don’t let anything stand in the way and tell her how you feel.”
“I haven’t yet. I’m worried it’ll scare the shit out of her.”
“The things she’s been through, she won’t scare easy.”
I laugh. “Danny says otherwise.”
“Danny earned that himself.” She laughs. “The fool did the sweetest things for Chloe when they were living in that trailer, like left food for them and that dog of theirs, toiletries, all sorts of things, even money at times. She tried several times to thank him at school, and he pretended he didn’t even hear her. Wasn’t until she was in a really bad relationship that he spoke to her, and she wasn’t having it. Took a while, yeah, but that’s because, like Pope and me, there were hurt feelings and misunderstandings. CeCe is so smitten with you. And you? You’re already in up to your eyeballs.”
“She’s aware.”
She pats my shoulder. “Good. Now, I’m going to therapy.”
When the girls take the field to warm up, I swear I get a Hart-on when I see CeCe take second base. Whitley’s on first, Gwen is third, which makes me fucking laugh, and Marks, too. Cora’s pitching, Fawna’s playing short, Francesca’s catching. Outfield is Dromida, her mother, Nikki, and Ellis Steel, Amias’s wife.
Zandor comes up and stands beside me. “You know, we could have done this on the field.”
“Good to know. If everyone is enjoying themselves and wants to do it again, that would be more convenient.”
Jase appears on the other side of me. “Offseason, fall ball. We could sell tickets and donate to the winning team’s choice of charity.”
“Not a bad idea.” Cyrus appears beside us. “Probably should do coed or alternate women’s and men’s teams.”
“Probably shouldn’t stick my nose into this”—Pope chuckles—“but you all have no idea what you’re up against.”
“That so?” Xavier laughs.
